The latest report levels criticism at the government over the secrecy of the ID planning process, conflicting statements made by the Home Office and a disregard for Parliament's right to consider important costs and facts related to the scheme.

The report recommends that planning for the ID card be removed from the Home Office and given to Treasury. The report's authors argue that the Home Office is not the appropriate department to deliver or operate the scheme. 'In light of the numerous inconsistencies and conflicts that have emerged, serious unanswered concerns that remain, project dynamics that are dysfunctional and potential outcomes that may be harmful to the public interest we can now no longer support even the principle of an identity scheme owned and operated by the Home Office.' the report says.

The report observes: 'Dozens of questions about the scheme's architecture, goals, feasibility, stakeholder engagement and outcomes remain unanswered. These questions are outlined in this report. The security of the scheme remains unstable, as are the technical arrangements for the proposal. The performance of biometric technology is increasingly questionable. We continue to contest the legality of the scheme. The financial arrangements for the proposals are almost entirely secret, raising important questions of constitutional significance.'

For these reasons, the LSE team has declined to publish further costings for the scheme. In his introduction to the report LSE's Director, Sir Howard Davies observed: 'As this second report shows, the Government have not been very forthcoming in providing details of their proposals. The LSE team stands by the cost estimates outlined in its first report, but changes to the policy made by the Home Office make it difficult now to produce a definitive assessment of the total cost. Other government departments, if they wish to adopt the ID scheme, may opt in at a later date. Any estimates made of the cost of the current proposals may therefore significantly underestimate the total cost of the scheme in the longer term.'

Professor Ian Angell, head of LSE's Department of Information Systems said: 'We don't know what to believe any more. Contradictions, guesswork and wishful thinking on the part of the Home Office make a mockery of any pretence that this scheme is based on serious reasoning.'

Dr Edgar Whitley, reader in information systems at LSE said: 'We have been surprised at how little consistent or reliable information exists about the government's proposals. Claims are routinely made for the scheme and then just as quickly are abandoned or contradicted.'

Rebuttal re single author claim - 18 January

Prime minister Tony Blair, when questioned about the LSE Identity Project report at prime minister's question time on 18 January, said: 'As for the calculations made by the LSE, I think I am right in saying that this report, that was put out under the LSE's name, is actually written by someone who is actually a leading campaigner on civil liberty grounds .... So I don't think it's an entirely objective assessment.'

Press coverage

Financial TimesMinisters accused of using crime data to back policies (13 Feb 06)
With regard to the latest academic questioning of government actions, it is said that this comes against the background of a continuing dispute between LSE and the Home Office with regard to the true cost of proposed ID cards.http://news.ft.com/cms/s/e42d23ae-9c35-11da-8baa-0000779e2340.html|

GuardianDefence expert undermines Blair on safety of ID cards (13 Feb 06)
NATO and defence specialist Brian Gladwin said that the Labour government had got it wrong when they accused critics of producing a "technically incompetent report". They had accused the report's main author, a visiting fellow at LSE, Simon Davies, of bias because he is also a director of Privacy International, a human rights group that opposes ID cards.

Daily MailBrown gets a hand on the reins as he comes to Blair's aid (13 Feb 06)
Researchers from the LSE have estimated that the true cost of ID cards could be three times as much as the official Home Office figures.

Daily MirrorRoad to ruin (13 Feb 06)

The HeraldID cards: there are positive reasons to want them here (13 Feb 06)

ObserverID cards will provoke a national identity crisis (12 Feb 06)

Sunday TimesI'm the new Kelly, says ID card critic (12 Feb 06)

The PublicanWhat the Sunday papers said (12 Feb 06)In the Sunday Times, Simon Davies, a visiting fellow at LSE, said that after he contributed to LSE research - which suggested ID cards would cost more than what the government claims - repeated criticism from ministers and Home Secretary Charles Clarke has threatened his livelihood.

Evening StandardThree days of tests against the rebels (10 Feb 06)
Researchers from the LSE have estimated that the true cost of ID cards could be three times as much as the official Home Office figures.

Mail on SundayNew Labour admits: We want ID cards to be made compulsory (22 Jan 06)Researchers from LSE, predicted the true cost of ID cards to be three times higher than the official Home Office estimates.

Times OnlinePeers deal Blair blow over '£19bn cost of ID cards' (17 Jan 06)
Howard Davies, director of LSE, said that his academics were not 'politically biased or mad', when they evaluated the ID cards cost at up to £19 billion, which is three times more than the Home Office official figures.

A touch of frost on ID cards is avoided in the Lords (17 Jan 06)
Researchers from the LSE have estimated that the true cost of ID cards could be three times as much as the official Home Office figures.

City AMLords defeat for ID cards scheme (17 Jan 06)
Researchers from the London School of Economics predicted the true cost of ID cards to be three times higher than the official Home Office estimates.

GuardianResearchers fear IT disaster over launch of identity cards (18 Jan 06)
Researchers from the London School of Economics predicted the true cost of ID cards to be three times higher than the official Home Office estimates.

Evening StandardMinisters defiant after triple defeat on ID cards in the Lords (17 Jan 06)
Researchers from the London School of Economics predicted the true cost of ID cards to be three times higher than the official Home Office estimates.

Financial TimesTreasury should take over project, says study (17 Jan 06)
A study conducted by the London School of Economics says that the Treasury should take over responsibility from the Home Office for the development of the ID card scheme. This is because the Home Office's predicted cost for the scheme has been shown by the same study to be three times lower than the realistically expected one. http://news.ft.com/cms/s/85837d82-86fd-11da-8521-0000779e2340.html|

Security Document WorldNew LSE report on ID cards - 'scathing' (16 Jan 06)
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has published a damning report on the introduction of biometric-based national ID cards in the UK. Similar to its first report, published last June, it gives few crumbs of comfort to those in favour of the UK's ID card, and is scathing of the government and its unwillingness to share details on the ID card planning process.
http://www.securitydocumentworld.com/public/index.cfm?&m1=
c_10&m2=c_4&m3=e_0&m4=e_0&subItemID=261|

Times OnlineSomeone to watch over you (16 Jan 06)William Rees-Mogg, writes about CCTV, identity cards and phone tapping. Reference to the LSE ID report study.

Daily MailCameron calls ID cards 'unBritish' (16 Jan 06)
Conservative leader David Cameron called compulsory ID cards 'unBritish'. He also said: "The London School of Economics says it's £14.5 billion, that's half the Department of Education's budget..." The LSE is a persistent critic of ID cards and puts the final price at nearly three times Government estimates.

Sunday MirrorBlow to Blair as experts say identity card plan won't work (15 Jan 06)
The world-famous London School Of Economics - which is paid millions to examine Government plans - called for the scheme to be scrapped. The university calls the technical and security arrangements for the scheme "unstable" and accuses Ministers of misleading the public and denying MPs access to the facts. Comments from Dr Edgar Whitley, LSE.

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